Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday welcomed the recent survey by the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showing a decrease in the national food insecurity rate, attributing the positive result to the Marcos administration's sustained anti-hunger initiatives.
According to Philippines News Agency, the 2025 survey presented by the DOST-FNRI during the 2026 National Nutrition Summit on Wednesday indicated that the national estimate of moderate-to-severe food insecurity declined from 33.3 percent in 2023 to 32.6 percent in 2025. The study also revealed that three out of 10 Filipinos still experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, DSWD spokesperson, stated that the department acknowledges the results of the study as a validation of their efforts to combat hunger. The department expressed satisfaction with the decreasing numbers and emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen anti-hunger interventions to reduce the number of Filipino families experiencing hunger.
The DSWD's Walang Gutom Program (WGP) is highlighted as the Philippine government's primary anti-hunger initiative, based on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to tackle food insecurity and reduce involuntary hunger among Filipino families. Through the WGP, food-poor families receive electronic benefit transfer cards with monthly food credits to ensure access to healthy meals from DSWD-accredited stores.
In addition to addressing hunger, the WGP aims to promote healthy eating habits to better support the nutritional needs of Filipino families, including children, aligning with the Marcos administration's focus on human capital development. The DSWD also implements other food security and zero-hunger programs such as the Walang Gutom Kitchen, Supplementary Feeding Program, Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty, and the Project Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished.
Dumlao emphasized that addressing hunger and improving nutrition require diverse interventions, ensuring that food security programs are both nutrition-specific and sustainable for long-term impact. The DSWD is actively integrating comprehensive solutions and collaborating with other agencies to create more enduring solutions to hunger in the country.
These efforts support President Marcos' directive for a whole-of-government approach to ensure that no Filipino family experiences hunger by 2028.
